The Perfect Mindset
by KaleidoscopeOfWords
Summary: They are thrown headfirst into a village with untraditional ways of dancing and having fun. Katara and the Gaang decide to let loose and give their best shot at not letting their teenage years slip away.  Zuko x Katara centric


**The Perfect Mindset**

_They are thrown headfirst into a village with untraditional ways of dancing and having fun. Katara and the Gaang decide to let loose and give their best shot at not letting their teenage years slip away. (Zuko x Katara centric)_

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Seldom did they ever get to spend time doing something leisurely.

But their recent luck landed them in a quaint little village that was quite the catch; it radiated ancient history, everything decorated with culture in the form of art. Little did the group know that it was because of a celebration that came only once every ten years – something to do with the celestial arrangements and what not, something beyond them yet intriguing all the same.

So Aang gleefully told them that the village leader had invited them to the night of dancing and celebrating which they all decided would be a good thing. Even Sokka seemed enthusiastic, sure that the food there would be promising. He forcefully put that they would be up packing the next morning at sunrise, back on track to carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders once again.

But tonight – tonight they could enjoy themselves in foolish ways that teenagers could. The boys slipped out of their guest house early to play games with the town locals. Even Zuko, though still reluctant, seemed to be craving something to get his mind off of the impending doom that was foretold to await them.

Toph and Katara left not much later to join the other girls in a sweet-scented salon-like house to get ready. Katara's solemn apology that they didn't have any clothes to sport in celebration was quickly rejected; before she could even get out another word, two silk wraps were being fitted on them. When Katara turned to look at Toph before herself, she blinked a few times. Toph never wore anything but green yet here she was in some blue-silver flowy material that matched her sightless eyes. At first it was eerie, and she felt uncomfortable before she noticed how the light caught off the dress and her eyes. Toph looked ethereal, angelic; it was breathtaking.

"You and your friend look _wonderful_," commented an auburn-haired girl, her hazel eyes glinting in the light. She wore a silky lavender wrap. They were such unnatural colors that Katara imagined were very expensive. She nodded her thanks, only then catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

She flushed at the sight of herself; her dress was golden, the same silk as the girl who had just complimented her. However, she saw noticeable differences – her dress clung tighter to her and was wrapped low enough to show a little skin on her chest. It billowed out from the waist down, swirling at her feet. She felt unreal, just as Toph looked. This celebration certainly was important. Childishly, the girls laughed and giggled, and Katara even caught Toph grinning at the ridiculous happiness that radiated from everyone.

After her makeup was done, she looked outside to see it was just getting dark. Slinking to the back of the group with Toph, they waited until the other girls had flocked out to make their entrance quietly. Aang and Sokka still seemed to find them quickly however, both with wooden cups filled with a dark purple liquid.

"You look amazing," Aang said shyly, staring at Katara. Sokka nudged him and pointed to a few girls behind his sister, obviously trying to get Aang to accompany him in his attempt at flirting. Aang nodded but kept his eyes on Katara.

"Come on, Toph," Katara whispered firmly, spotting another group of teenagers close by. She wondered where Zuko had gotten off to.

In the group where two girls and three guys; the girls had a burgundy wrap and a silver one respectively, their eyes swirling with mischief as they eyed a cleared space in the center of the celebration. There people were dancing to the music played by a few kids dressed in dark colors. Katara leaned forward to see what the big deal was.

Immediately she saw what had captured the groups' attention; two people were dancing some fierce step, their bodies close and movements challenging. Katara recognized the lavender-wrapped girl with the auburn hair that was red in the firelight. However, the boy caught her by complete surprise. It was Zuko, his eyes set flickering from the crowd to the girl he was dancing with. A twinge of jealously flared through her, but she repressed it and rolled her eyes. Who knew the Fire Prince could _dance_ of all things?

She decided to get herself one of those drinks; looking down beside her, she saw Toph.

"Way ahead of ya," she drawled, thrusting her fist up with the cup of juice brimming. "Who knew he could dance? I always pictured him sitting out on those occasions back in his nation."

Katara couldn't imagine any formal Fire Nation dance allowing what was happening on the dance floor at that moment; Zuko's hands were _all over_ that girl. But she shrugged and agreed all the same. They turned to talk to a few other people for the time being, and she finished two more drinks in the process. As prepared as she thought she was, she felt herself become flushed and loose-feeling, thinking maybe she should have taken it easy on the juice…

"Having fun?" A hand was placed on her shoulder, and she turned to find Zuko. Surprise flashed in her eyes, and she had trouble finding her words with the pace she seemed to be thinking.

"I – yes," she replied, her flush spreading throughout her, marveling at how such a touch could do that. She moved away from him, daring him to reach out and spark her again. "I see you are."

He just gave her a coy smile, leaned in close to her, and then walked past her, his hand traveling down her arm. Just past her was the auburn girl, eyes glistening from the attention she was getting from her friends as Zuko made his way over.

"Wanna dance?" Spinning to her left she met a boy with blue eyes, his hair a dirty blonde color that she rarely saw. It looked like wheat, glistening from the fire. Taking his hand, she followed him to the floor, suddenly excited to feel the pulse drumming through her.

Dancing was so much more fun in this way, with her body close to his. She tried to remember simple things, her middle name and the color of Sokka's eyes, but everything required so much attention. She felt hands slide across her back and suddenly she wished she was this carefree all the time.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of lavender and dark hair spinning; obviously Zuko and his newfound girl. Grinning she decided to play up her dress, the fire dancing off the gold as she allowed her partner to spin her out and then back, putting them even closer than before. Her hands slid to his chest, and she was pleased to see Zuko staring.

"May I?" Suddenly he was beside her, and the look in his eyes gave her chills. They were the golden liquid that matched her dress, and they seemed to demand her answer.

She nodded with a half-smile and nodded her boy over to the lavender-dressed girl, both of who had confused looks on their faces. The rest was lost in the haze of the fire as she was spun to meet her new partner.

At first, Katara was confused; her movements did not come as easy as they did with the blonde haired boy. She went one way and yet Zuko seemed to want to go the other. Frustrated, she felt him try to guide her hips with his hands. Still they seemed to be off.

"Try a little give and take," he whispered in her ear, their foreheads almost touching.

So she did.

And suddenly it was the thrill of waiting for his move and then trying to make hers better, more impressive. Soon they were spinning on the dance floor, eyes watching, and she felt satisfied and rewarded and pleased at the attention and the feeling this had created. Her hands went from above her head to his chest to his face and back again. His roamed her body with no intention of diverting elsewhere.

When the dance floor began to clear, she peered up at Zuko. He was staring at her in that way again, eyes seeping into her. She could not deny the lust tickling her insides as she dragged her hand away from his chest, raising an eyebrow and nodded to where the people were congregating. He shrugged, grabbing them each a drink and joining the rest for the storytelling portion of the evening. The leader of the village stood in front of the fire and relayed stories from the past… reasons why the celebration happened and what not. Kids' voices hummed in the background, and Katara began to doze off.

"Let's go back to the cabin," whispered a voice in her ear. "Toph and Aang already went back… we have to get up early tomorrow."

He helped her back, and when they were nearing the house, they slowed to a stop.

"It's fun, you know," she told him, breaking the silence. "Acting like a normal teenager. Getting ready with Toph and all these other giggling girls… I mean, I couldn't do it every day, but you know…"

Her voice trailed off as she watched him, his face tilted and searching. Suddenly her eyes begin to fill with tears, and she panicked, shaking her head.

"It's just – just," she said, quite aware that she was going to ruin whatever moment may or may not have been coming up, "I don't want to lose all this to some war. Sometimes I feel like my childhood's being cheated. Even before Aang, it wasn't easy. I just sometimes want to worry about the usual things, talk with girls my age about the boys we like and – and I don't even know what I'd say to that, because it's not like I get much experience out here trying to _save the world _and – "

He kissed her like that, and she closed her eyes and pretended the chill nipped at her toes and that Zuko was an attractive warrior of her village. What would she tell her friends Marya and Raya?

And suddenly it didn't matter. His hand touched her face, and she was brought back to the here and now. Many kids didn't have these opportunities. She was _lucky_. Her knees grew week, and she felt the pulsing feeling she had gotten on the dance floor.

When he pulled away he gave her a small smile, crooked yet perfect. "You can put that experience with everything else you've learned _'saving the world'._ One question though."

She nodded expectantly, fully aware of her surroundings, her eyes rounding in the moonlight.

"That was much more experience than Jet gave you, right?" His eyes danced with not quite his own control, and she blamed it again on the night, playfully pushing him with her hands.

"That's for me to know and – oh!"

He kissed her again, this time fiercely, and she froze as his tongue grazed her lips and begged for entrance. The next few minutes left her lightheaded and dizzy as she stared back at the person across from her.

"Definitely more experience there," he whispered in her ear. "Goodnight, Katara."

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**xx Well, this is pretty old. So don't judge me too much… I really liked the ending. I would've liked to turn it into its own more realistic piece. The celebration was kind of odd, and I bet I got lost a little in there. It's harder than I thought to combine dancing today into what traditionally wasn't acceptable then. So I banked off of the 'odd, artsy town' to be a little ahead of their time on things like dancing and whatnot. The juice was obviously something to get them a little buzzed but nothing too drastic. **

**So apart from it being a little lot unrealistic, I'm glad I got out of my comfort zone. **

**Thanks for reading!**


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